Cherry Galette

We are moving in less than 10 days. It is hard to believe. We brought both of our babies home to this house. It is a place full of good and bad memories, struggles and triumphs. I am sad to leave it. Three months ago we decided to put our condo on the market and it sold in 6 days. We were shocked. For years we have complained about the busy street and the lack of a yard for the kids and our dog, Alice. We are frantically looking for a house to buy but nothing we see feels like a good fit. So we will rent for a while. We will be in a state of transition with no end date in site. I like to feel settled so this feels especially hard. I am surrounded by boxes and bubble wrap and incredibly stressed out but we need to eat and dessert is a must in our house.

I spotted cherries at the market the other day and I couldn’t resist buying a bunch. They are a favorite in our household. Typically we eat them straight out of the bag or I throw them into a salad. I saw a recipe for Rhubarb Galette on Top with Cinnamon  http://www.topwithcinnamon.com/and decided to make a cherry version.

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I attempted to make an oat flour dough but I was impatient. I worked the dough too hard. I didn’t let it rest. The butter was too warm. It was a mess. I am preoccupied with the move. I feel out of sorts. I need to be gentle with myself. Luckily, I had a Trader Joe’s pie crust in the fridge. I let it thaw, mixed the cherries with a little sugar, cornstarch and juice and piled on top of the dough. I brushed the crust with milk and sprinkled it with raw sugar. I will make the oat flour crust at some point but for now things need to be easy.

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It baked for 20 minutes at 400 and another 20 minutes at 350.

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I served it with vanilla ice cream. Both Bubba and kids loved it.

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Cherry Galette

Inspired by Top with Cinnamon’s Rhubarb Galette and Dinner A Love Story’s Apple Galette

For the Crust:

1 Frozen Trader Joe’s or Pillsbury pie dough thawed or a homemade dough

For the Filling:

1 lb pound cherries, stems removed and pitted and sliced in half

2 tbsp sugar

2 tbsp of juice (Any kind of juice will work here. I used orange but fresh lemon or lime juice also works well.)

2 tsp cornstarch

milk or buttermilk for brushing the crust (I used mil.k)

raw sugar for sprinkling on the crust

Directions:

Pre-heat the oven to 400.

Pit and slice cherries in half. Mix cherries with sugar, cornstarch and juice. Toss to coat and set aside to macerate.

Cut a piece of parchment paper so it fits a large cookie sheet. Place the parchment paper on your work surface and dust with flour. Unwrap thawed but still cold pastry dough, dust with flour, and roll out into a large circle about 12 inches.

Pile the cherry mixture into the center of the dough, leaving the juice behind. Leave about a 2 inch border.

Fold pastry dough in, pressing gently. Brush the pastry with milk or buttermilk and sprinkle the dough with raw sugar. Dot with butter and bake at 400 for 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350 and bake for another 20 minutes. Serve with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream or plain.

Lets Start With Vanilla Bean Banana Cream Pie with a Graham Cracker Crust

Here we go. After two years of obsessively reading cookbooks and trying recipes I am starting a food blog. I am not sure where this will lead but I know now is the time to start. I am home full time with my two sweet, smart and funny kids, Charlotte 5 and Graham 2. I have a supportive and loving husband who many call Bubba. We have a very furry, half human dog named Alice. Friends and family are close by and we live in a great town just outside of Boston, the city where we first met and fell in love 11 years ago. We have a good life but I somehow feel lost in the day to day. I have disappeared between diaper changes and gymnastics drop offs. I think this blog just may be my way back.
I am starting with a Vanilla Bean Banana Cream Pie with a Graham Cracker crust because it was his favorite. I am referring to Papa, my grandfather, who we lost two years ago. He was a like a father to me. His passing broke my heart and it is just now that my heart feels less raw. His birthday was two weeks ago. This pie is for him.

Banana Cream Pie For Papa
slightly adapted from the Maratha Stewart Show and What’s Gaby Cooking
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For the Vanilla Bean Pudding
1 large whole egg, lightly beaten, plus 4 large egg yolks
6 to 8 medium-ripe bananas
3 cups whole milk
2/3 cup granulated sugar
5 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
1 vanilla bean, split, seeds scraped

For the Graham Cracker Crust
12 full-size graham crackers
6 tablespoons butter, melted

For the Crust

Pre-heat the oven to 375
Place the graham crackers and sugar in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse to break the crackers up and then process for 1-2 minutes until the crackers are the same consistency as the sugar.
Add the melted butter and pulse to combine so the crackers look just damp.
Remove the mixture from the food processor and transfer the crumbs into a 9 inch pie pan. Press the the crumbs into a crust evenly along the bottom and up the side.
Bake the crust for about 10 minutes. Remove the crust from the oven and let cool.

For the Pudding
In a bowl, lightly whisk egg yolks; set aside. In a saucepan, whisk together milk, granulated sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Bring to a simmer (do not boil), and cook, whisking constantly, 3 to 4 minutes.

Whisk a quarter of hot-milk mixture into egg yolks; whisk in remaining milk mixture. Strain into a clean saucepan (I didn’t do this step and it was fine), and cook over medium-high heat, whisking constantly, until custard is thick and bubbles appear in center, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl, and cover with plastic wrap, pressing it directly onto surface to prevent a skin from forming. Place in refrigerator until chilled, 30 to 35 minutes. (The filling can be kept in refrigerator, covered with plastic wrap, up to 1 day.)

Cut 3 or 4 bananas into 1/4-inch slices, on the bias. Start at the edge of the piecrust, arrange the slices in slightly overlapping rows. Cover with custard, using an offset spatula to smooth it into an even layer. I don’t love whip cream so I didn’t add it but if you love it throw some on!

Whipped Cream

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine cream and confectioners’ sugar; beat until soft peaks form. Using a small offset spatula, spread the whipped cream on top of the custard.

Refrigerate pie, loosely covered with plastic wrap, for at least 1 hour or up to 2 days.